Post by jillyson on Oct 25, 2008 13:46:30 GMT -5
Abigail looked longingly at the family portrait they had posed for just one year ago. The cost of it had been so dear, they could ill afford it, but mother had insisted. Now it was one of Abigail's most cherished possesions. As her eyes began to well up with unshed tears, she tried to focus on happier times.
She remembered dancing for her parents, playing at being a ballerina, while they clapped and cheered for her. She went to her room, and brought out her other most cherished possession, the dancing shoes they had given her for Christmas.They said a proper young lady should have a proper pair of dancing shoes, should a gentleman caller be so inclined to request her accompany him to a party. There were no parties, or gentleman callers, this far from the city. The rundown mansion on the property next door to their farm had held the gayest parties years ago, she'd been told. It had been far before her time, and all the land surrounding the area had been sold for farming years before she was born. No one had ever bought the property next door, and she had been glad of that. As a child, she would sneak over and climb through the ruins, dancing and spinning merrily in what must surely have been the ballroom. Fanning herself with an imaginary fan, curtseying to an imaginary partner, she would whirl around, picturing her imaginary ball gown flowing around her. That would be as close to a real party as she was ever likely to get. But her parents indulged her with the shoes, knowing how much she loved to dance.
As she often did this past year, she went into the sideyard, and knelt by their headstones. She missed them so much, and hoped they were happy and at peace, watching over her. She tried to keep the farm running as best she could on her own, but the work it once took 3 to do was impossible for one. Who would want to take her to wife, with the farm looking as it did? Maybe the pastor would find someone from the village who would make a good match for her. She was almost of marrying age, so she was sure someone would be looking for a wife who could work a farm with them. She surely would have no need of her dancing shoes. Well, there was no reason she could not use them now, and so she headed to the rundown mansion to dance in what she considered her own ballroom.
The spirits watched her approach. Clarissa began her ranting. "Who does she think she is, mocking the dead as she does?"
Jasper answered, even though he knew she didn't truly want one, she simply wanted to rage. "She mocks no one, Miss Clarissa. She only comes to dance and lighten her heart."
"And I suppose you shall be joining her in mocking me, as usual?" Clarissa demanded.
"Miss Clarissa, no one is mocking you. Your beauty was always beyond compare. She does not even know we are here. I join her to lighten my heart. I miss dancing a sweeping waltz with a fetching young lady. I would dance one with you, if you would but let me, as well you know." Jasper replied condescendingly.
"Dance with you?" Clarissa made a disgusted face. "A fool's errand! If I were to dance with the likes of you, it would not be amidst this rubble, without aid of a proper orchestra, dressed in these rags! Besides, you were nothing more than a means to be introduced into the circle from which I would have married. I assure you, Jasper, I'd have made a match with someone much more well off than you."
Jasper was reminded of the day the earth had rumbled, and the ballroom had come crashing down around them during the party. His spirit would have been quite content to leave with the others who had fallen that day, but Clarissa refused to leave. She was determined that it was not her time, that she was entitled to more life as though the sheer force of her will would be enough to bring that about somehow. Jasper would have gladly accepted death as a way to end the evening with Clarissa, but a gentleman would never leave a lady unaccompanied. So it was that Jasper stayed behind as well. Jasper sighed, determined not to let Clarissa ruin his mood. Not with Miss Abigail coming round.
He remembered the first time she'd come, just a child, not frightened at all by the stories the older farm boys told when daring eachother to climb through the ruins and investigate. She had heard there was a ballroom, and only wanted to dance in a real ballroom. She never noticed the rubble, but to climb over it. The first time she held her tiny arms out, as though she had an invisible partner, Jasper was enchanted, and had stepped in to dance the part. Oh, how angry this had made Clarissa. "This little ragamuffin comes here to play at being dead? Perhaps I shall help her!"
"Clarissa! She is a child! She only wants to dance in a ballroom. Look at her. Do you think there will be grand ballrooms in this girl's future? She will likely move from her farm to her husband's, and know nothing else. Have you no compassion in your heart?" Jasper shouted behind him, as he walked towards the little girl. He was no longer listening to the evil that Clarissa was spewing. He was caught up in the little girl's smile, as she courtsied to a partner that was not there. He couldn't help himself, but to bow to her as well, and stepped into the dance.
And he had been dancing with her all the years that followed. This day was no exception. As Abigail began her courtsey, Jasper replied with a bow, and they began to twirl. Over the years, Abigail had cleared the debris from the dancefloor, so they had an open floor before them. As always, Abigail hummed a tune for them. He had gotten so good at tuning out Clarissa's ranting, that he almost missed her approach.
"Those SHOES!" she shouted. "Who does she think she is, wearing those shoes? She must've stolen them! No farmer could purchase shoes such as those! THIEF!" she screamed, as rubble shook itself loose from the ceiling, nearly striking Abigail. Abigail stopped abruptly, startled at the falling plaster. She looked around, and suddenly felt very uneasy in her ballroom.
"Steady, Abbie," she chided herself. "It's an old home, these things happen." Nevertheless, she felt it was best that she return to the farm for the night. She had spent too much time there anyway.
"Clarissa! What has come over you?" shouted Jasper. What harm has that girl ever caused you? You must stop at once!"
"You wish me to stop, Jasper? Then bring me those shoes!" Clarissa shrieked.
''Her parents bought those for her! You have no right to them!" defended Jasper.
"If you want me to leave your waif in peace, then you'll bring them to me tonight!" said Clarissa, as she faded and disappeared.
Jasper knew he would never break Abigail's heart like that, just to appease that viper Clarissa. Yet he knew he must think of a way to force Clarissa to leave Abigail be. He spent most of the evening working through the puzzle Clarissa had left him, when he came to a conclusion he hoped to never reach. He left the ballroom to travel to the deepest part of the mansion. In the lowest celler, he came to the place he and Clarissa avoided at all cost. He wasn't certain what lay there, but he felt it was some sort of veil that separated this world from the next. Whatever waited on the other side of this veil, it was nothing good. He'd even speculated that it was something waiting patiently for Clarissa to cross over. The energy that radiated there always surged when she was about, which was not often. She did not come to this place, and she did not allow Jasper to speak of it. He wasn't sure how to begin. He fumbled about, finally settling on a course. "Um, I, I, I wish to address the being that dwells here. I humbly seek your council." He was rapidly losing his nerve, but reminded himself that he was there for Abigail. Just as he was about to try again, before him materialized a robed, hooded figure, with darkness where his face should be.
"You wish to speak with me?" said the figure. "Do you know who it is that you summon?"
"I do not, Good Sir, pray tell me whom I address." asked Jasper.
"I am Death." responded the figure. "Have a care in asking my favors."
"Sir Death," began Jasper, "I have felt your presence here since our time here began. Is it Clarissa and I that bring you here?"
"The disaster that brought these walls down around you is what brought me here. I wait here until those who have died cross the veil to the next world. What is it you wish from me?" Death asked.
"Clarissa refuses to leave this place. She feels she was cheated out of the life she was meant to live. She has taken it into her head that the farm girl next door has offended her, and if I do not steal that girl's dancing shoes and give them to Clarissa, she will cause harm to the girl. She nearly caused her injury this day. I do not know how to keep Abigail safe from Clarissa, without hurting her myself." explained Jasper. "I thought you might know a way I can limit Clarissa's power, so she can cause no further harm to this innocent girl."
Death shook his hooded head. "You cannot stop Clarissa, but perhaps I can. Steal the shoes, as she has asked you to, but bring them to me before you present them to Clarissa."
Jasper bowed to Death, and said, "As you will it." before he left the cellar and headed for Abigail's farm.
It was hard for him to leave the mansion's lands. It was not impossible, but the grounds had a very strong pull for him. He broke free, and glided to Abigail's house. He stopped by her parents' headstones. "I do this to keep your daughter safe, not to bring her more sadness. I hope you understand." he said to the stones. He knew her parents had moved on, as he had seen them go, but he felt he needed to explain his actions. Since he could not speak to Abigail, he felt obliged to try her parents and hope they heard and understood. He continued to the house, knowing which window was Abigail's by having watched her candlelight travel past the windows in the nights he had been observing from the mansion grounds.
He leaned over the sleeping girl, thinking her so beautiful in her sleep, that he had to leave a kiss on her cheek. "I'm so sorry, Miss Abigail, but I do this to keep you safe. I would give anything in my power to protect you from harm. Know that I will always be watching over you. Sweet dreams, Miss Abigail."
Then he focused all his power on the dancing shoes, which lay near her bed. It was not easy to move things in the natural world, but with practice, it could be done. Since he had so many years to hone his skill, the shoes floated before him, as he glanced back once at the sleeping Abigail, then headed for the mansions cellars.
Once back, he left the shoes near the place where he had met Death. Since Death was not there, he left them and busied himself about the mansion. He couldn't stop thinking of Abigail, and how sad she would be to find her dancing shoes missing.
Back at the farm, Abigail was dreaming of dancing in her ballroom. She saw it in all it's glory, with bright, sparkling floors and gaily decorated walls. She could hear the orchestra playing her favorite waltz. As she entered the ballroom, she noticed she had a beautiful ballgown, and of course, her dancing shoes. There were many couples twirling about to the music, and she came to stand at the edge of the dance floor. Suddenly, a handsome young man dressed in finery appeared before her in a low bow. "Miss Abigail, may I have this dance?" he asked. She nodded her head, and the joined the rest of the couples on the floor. The young man led her expertly around the floor. She felt familiarity in their dance, as though they had always danced together. 'How strange', she thought in her dream,'that I should feel I know this boy when we have just met. Yet, he knew my name.' She thought she might ask him about that, but he smiled at her as he twirled her round and round, and she could do nothing but smile back. As the song ended, he bowed to her again, and kissed her hand. "I thank you Miss Abigail, for a most wonderful dance." he told her. "And I, you, Sir." she replied. She closed her eyes as he drew nearer, almost as though he would kiss her. Her heart thundered in her chest as she waited. Then she felt the slightest feathery touch upon her cheek, so cold, yet so tender. And then she woke.
She remembered her dream, the young man with his kind face. spinning and twirling her to the music. She would always imagine this was the man she danced with when she would visit her ballroom. She turned over to go back to sleep, but when her eyes swept the place she had left her dancing shoes, they were not there. "Where could you have left them, Abby?" she asked herself. Troubled, she got out of her bed, and began to search.
Back at the mansion, Jasper waited in the bedroom he claimed as his. He didn't need to sleep, but he and Clarissa both needed a space in the house where they could be alone. Eternity was a very long time to be tied to a person. He was startled by a sound outside of his door. He walked through the door, and found the shoes sitting there. He assumed this meant the shoes were ready. He was not sure what Death had planned, but whatever it was, if it kept Abigail safe, he would go along with it. He picked up the shoes, and headed for Clarissa's wing of the mansion.
"Clarissa!" he yelled. She appeared before him. "Oh, it's just 'Clarissa' now? You no longer address me as a lady is due?" she asked.
"A lady is as a lady does." replied Jasper. "I have done your bidding and brought you Miss Abigail's shoes. Now you must leave her alone. No harm will come to her at your hands, per your bargin."
"I made no bargin with you!" laughed Clarissa. "I shall do what I will, and you'll not stop me!"
Then she slipped her ghost feet into Abigail's dancing shoes. A shocked look came to her face. "What have you done?" she demanded from Jasper. As Jasper watched, Clarissa began to fade. She tried to speak as she faded, but Jasper could not make out the words. They sounded so far away.
Abigail stopped where she was, suddenly feeling very strange. She put her hands onto her stomach, and they seemed to press right through her nightdress. She pulled them back to look at them, and was terrified as she could see right through them to the floor below. Abigail looked about in shock as she began to fade.
As she became aware again, she found herself in an old hallway, and standing before her was a young man in tatered evening clothes. She felt herself become more solid, yet still somehow, not. She looked down at herself, and saw a bedragled ballgown had replaced her nightdress. She looked back at the young man, who, from the look on his face, was as shocked by what was happening as she was. "I know you," she said as she looked upon him.
"Miss Abigail?" Jasper asked bewilderedly. "Is it truly you? And how is it that you can see me?"
"I can see you, because you are standing right before me." she replied. "But how is it that you know my name, yet I know not yours? I've been meaning to ask you."
"Miss Abigail, I am Jasper. I don't know how to expain the rest without startling you, but I shall try my best. Let me begin by teling you that I mean you no harm, so please do not be afraid of me. I attended a party here, many years past. There was a rumbling in the earth, and part of the mansion fell in upon the partygoers. The rest of them have moved on to the next plane, but I stayed behind with another, who did not wish to go. I have lived next door to you all of your life. I must warn you, the other who stayed behind is evil, and will harm you if she can."
Abigail looked at Jasper as he spoke, and when he was finished, she asked a question. "Am I dead?"
"I do not know for certain, but I fear it may be so." replied Jasper. "I am so sorry that this has happened to you, and I am afraid I may have had a hand in this unknowingly. I will explain it all to you, but I think it best that we find Clarissa first, and make sure you are safe here."
Jasper took Abigail's hand, and helped her down the rubble staicase, and out the front door. They walked across the grounds, and when they came to the fence that separated the mansion from the farm, Abigail felt an odd pull that stopped her from moving forward. "You can keep walking, it just seems very hard to do. The farther from the mansion we go, the easier it becomes. Take my hand."
Abigail did, and they crossed the threshold between the properties. As they approached the sideyard, she stopped at her parents' graves. "Are they here?" she asked hopefully.
"No," replied Jasper sadly. "I wish that were a gift I could give you, but they have moved on."
"I see." said Abigail. "Thank you for being so kind." she added.
"You'll not think me kind, once I can explain what I think has happened. Let us go inside, and find out if what I fear has happened has come to pass." said Jasper.
They entered the house, and went inside. "Do you hear that?" asked Abigail. "Someone is here!" She headed for the parlor, which is where she was when she had begun to fade. Jasper tried to place himself before her, to protect her from whatever Clarissa might have in mind. As they entered the parlor, they found Clarissa; a very solid Clarissa, in a nightdress, clutching at her face and arms. "What has he done to me?" she seemed to be asking herself.
Jasper placed himself in front of Abigail, and spoke to her. "Clarissa! Are you alive?" he asked her. She never looked up at him, but continued to look at her body. She looked around the room, her eyes drifting over them as though they weren't even there. She said to herself, "A mirror - there must be a mirror in this hovel!" and she walked right through Jasper and Abigail. She found a mirror on the powder room wall, and walked right up close to it. Jasper and Abigail followed her to watch. As Clarissa looked into the glass, they were are startled to see Abigail's face looking back. "He has put me in that farm girl's body - I AM TRAPPED IN HER PATHETIC BODY. JASPER!!!!" she yelled.
"I am right here, Clarissa." Jasper replied. It was apparent that she could neither see nor hear him, when Death appeared in the hallway behind them.
"You have a choice," he said to Jasper and Abigail. "You can move on, or you can linger here until a time of your choosing."
"You took her life!" shouted Jasper. "Abigail's life was not part of the bargin!"
I advised you to have a care when asking for Death's favors. I am Death, what did you think I would do?" Death asked.
"I thought you would force Clarissa to move on so that Abigial would be safe from her!" cried Jasper.
"Abigail is safe from her." replied Death. "And Clarissa will be forced to move on. Once she has finished living this life, she will not have the choice again. I will be waiting for her." And Death disappeared.
Jasper turned to Abigail, and pleaded with her. "I beg your forgiveness, Miss Abigail. I only sought your safety from Clarissa. In my foolish haste, I have ended your life. Worse, I have traded your life for Clarissa's. Days, weeks, years that should have belonged to you, will now be her's to live. I can't bear this!"
Abigail put a hand on Jasper's cheek, moving it to his chin to raise it up to meet her eyes. "I bear you no ill will, Good Jasper. I can feel the kindness in your heart, and you meant to protect me. If you had not, perhaps Clarissa would have found a way to have me dead, and I would never have met you. I'll not have you feeling guilt for something you did in kindness." She looked over at Clarissa, who was screaming and throwing things all about the house, cursing Jasper all the while. "This is the spirit you have been sharing the mansion with all these years?" she asked.
"Yes. She was not a good person when she was alive, but after her death, she became jealous and hateful towards you. Each time you would sneak into the mansion to have a dance in the ballroom, she would become enraged. She was jealous that you were alive and she was not. Once you grew into a beautiful young lady, she escalated her hatred of you, and had begun to try and cause you 'accidents'. She hated that I kept you from her traps, and she almost brought the rest of the ceiling down upon your head the last time you were there."
"I remember." said Abigail. "I remember feeling that it was not an accident, and that I should leave right away. May I ask you a question?"
"Yes, anything you wish to know" said Jasper.
"Was it you who danced with me in the ballroom?" she asked.
"Why, yes, yes it was. From the very first day you came, until that last day. That was part of what was fueling her rage against you. That last time, she noticed your dancing shoes, and demanded them as payment for not causing you harm. I did not want to take them from you, because they gave you such joy, but if there were a way to stop Clarissa, I wanted to find it. I asked Death to help me, and you now know the rest. Now I have a question for you. How did you know that I joined your dance, Miss Abigail?" asked Jasper.
"Just a feeling." replied Abigail. "Look, she is headed for the mansion. We should follow."
Jasper turned to leave, but Abigail stopped and held out her hand for him. Jasper looked at her, and asked, "You would take my hand, after what I have wrought?"
"I have been alone a long time, Sir Jasper, and in you I have found a friend who sought my protection. I'd have it no other way." she said to him and smiled. Jasper couldn't help but smile back, and they left the farm to follow Clarissa to the mansion.
Clarissa screamed as she stormed through the doors, "Jasper! JASPER!!!" Jasper and Abigail stood right in front of her, but she could not see or hear them. "I'll not live out my life as a lowly farmgirl with no prospects! Do you hear me, Jasper? Do not hide from me, I know you're here! Take these cursed shoes back - TAKE THEM BACK!" she shouted, as she took off the dancing shoes and threw them across the ballroom. It changed nothing. Death's magic had been done. She screamed her rage, and it echoed throught the mansion.
Jasper turned to Abigail and asked, "May I have this dance?"
She answered, "I'd be delighted, Good Sir." and the ballroom became as it once was, and they waltzed to the music the orchestra was playing just for them, as Clarissa screamed and screamed.
She remembered dancing for her parents, playing at being a ballerina, while they clapped and cheered for her. She went to her room, and brought out her other most cherished possession, the dancing shoes they had given her for Christmas.They said a proper young lady should have a proper pair of dancing shoes, should a gentleman caller be so inclined to request her accompany him to a party. There were no parties, or gentleman callers, this far from the city. The rundown mansion on the property next door to their farm had held the gayest parties years ago, she'd been told. It had been far before her time, and all the land surrounding the area had been sold for farming years before she was born. No one had ever bought the property next door, and she had been glad of that. As a child, she would sneak over and climb through the ruins, dancing and spinning merrily in what must surely have been the ballroom. Fanning herself with an imaginary fan, curtseying to an imaginary partner, she would whirl around, picturing her imaginary ball gown flowing around her. That would be as close to a real party as she was ever likely to get. But her parents indulged her with the shoes, knowing how much she loved to dance.
As she often did this past year, she went into the sideyard, and knelt by their headstones. She missed them so much, and hoped they were happy and at peace, watching over her. She tried to keep the farm running as best she could on her own, but the work it once took 3 to do was impossible for one. Who would want to take her to wife, with the farm looking as it did? Maybe the pastor would find someone from the village who would make a good match for her. She was almost of marrying age, so she was sure someone would be looking for a wife who could work a farm with them. She surely would have no need of her dancing shoes. Well, there was no reason she could not use them now, and so she headed to the rundown mansion to dance in what she considered her own ballroom.
The spirits watched her approach. Clarissa began her ranting. "Who does she think she is, mocking the dead as she does?"
Jasper answered, even though he knew she didn't truly want one, she simply wanted to rage. "She mocks no one, Miss Clarissa. She only comes to dance and lighten her heart."
"And I suppose you shall be joining her in mocking me, as usual?" Clarissa demanded.
"Miss Clarissa, no one is mocking you. Your beauty was always beyond compare. She does not even know we are here. I join her to lighten my heart. I miss dancing a sweeping waltz with a fetching young lady. I would dance one with you, if you would but let me, as well you know." Jasper replied condescendingly.
"Dance with you?" Clarissa made a disgusted face. "A fool's errand! If I were to dance with the likes of you, it would not be amidst this rubble, without aid of a proper orchestra, dressed in these rags! Besides, you were nothing more than a means to be introduced into the circle from which I would have married. I assure you, Jasper, I'd have made a match with someone much more well off than you."
Jasper was reminded of the day the earth had rumbled, and the ballroom had come crashing down around them during the party. His spirit would have been quite content to leave with the others who had fallen that day, but Clarissa refused to leave. She was determined that it was not her time, that she was entitled to more life as though the sheer force of her will would be enough to bring that about somehow. Jasper would have gladly accepted death as a way to end the evening with Clarissa, but a gentleman would never leave a lady unaccompanied. So it was that Jasper stayed behind as well. Jasper sighed, determined not to let Clarissa ruin his mood. Not with Miss Abigail coming round.
He remembered the first time she'd come, just a child, not frightened at all by the stories the older farm boys told when daring eachother to climb through the ruins and investigate. She had heard there was a ballroom, and only wanted to dance in a real ballroom. She never noticed the rubble, but to climb over it. The first time she held her tiny arms out, as though she had an invisible partner, Jasper was enchanted, and had stepped in to dance the part. Oh, how angry this had made Clarissa. "This little ragamuffin comes here to play at being dead? Perhaps I shall help her!"
"Clarissa! She is a child! She only wants to dance in a ballroom. Look at her. Do you think there will be grand ballrooms in this girl's future? She will likely move from her farm to her husband's, and know nothing else. Have you no compassion in your heart?" Jasper shouted behind him, as he walked towards the little girl. He was no longer listening to the evil that Clarissa was spewing. He was caught up in the little girl's smile, as she courtsied to a partner that was not there. He couldn't help himself, but to bow to her as well, and stepped into the dance.
And he had been dancing with her all the years that followed. This day was no exception. As Abigail began her courtsey, Jasper replied with a bow, and they began to twirl. Over the years, Abigail had cleared the debris from the dancefloor, so they had an open floor before them. As always, Abigail hummed a tune for them. He had gotten so good at tuning out Clarissa's ranting, that he almost missed her approach.
"Those SHOES!" she shouted. "Who does she think she is, wearing those shoes? She must've stolen them! No farmer could purchase shoes such as those! THIEF!" she screamed, as rubble shook itself loose from the ceiling, nearly striking Abigail. Abigail stopped abruptly, startled at the falling plaster. She looked around, and suddenly felt very uneasy in her ballroom.
"Steady, Abbie," she chided herself. "It's an old home, these things happen." Nevertheless, she felt it was best that she return to the farm for the night. She had spent too much time there anyway.
"Clarissa! What has come over you?" shouted Jasper. What harm has that girl ever caused you? You must stop at once!"
"You wish me to stop, Jasper? Then bring me those shoes!" Clarissa shrieked.
''Her parents bought those for her! You have no right to them!" defended Jasper.
"If you want me to leave your waif in peace, then you'll bring them to me tonight!" said Clarissa, as she faded and disappeared.
Jasper knew he would never break Abigail's heart like that, just to appease that viper Clarissa. Yet he knew he must think of a way to force Clarissa to leave Abigail be. He spent most of the evening working through the puzzle Clarissa had left him, when he came to a conclusion he hoped to never reach. He left the ballroom to travel to the deepest part of the mansion. In the lowest celler, he came to the place he and Clarissa avoided at all cost. He wasn't certain what lay there, but he felt it was some sort of veil that separated this world from the next. Whatever waited on the other side of this veil, it was nothing good. He'd even speculated that it was something waiting patiently for Clarissa to cross over. The energy that radiated there always surged when she was about, which was not often. She did not come to this place, and she did not allow Jasper to speak of it. He wasn't sure how to begin. He fumbled about, finally settling on a course. "Um, I, I, I wish to address the being that dwells here. I humbly seek your council." He was rapidly losing his nerve, but reminded himself that he was there for Abigail. Just as he was about to try again, before him materialized a robed, hooded figure, with darkness where his face should be.
"You wish to speak with me?" said the figure. "Do you know who it is that you summon?"
"I do not, Good Sir, pray tell me whom I address." asked Jasper.
"I am Death." responded the figure. "Have a care in asking my favors."
"Sir Death," began Jasper, "I have felt your presence here since our time here began. Is it Clarissa and I that bring you here?"
"The disaster that brought these walls down around you is what brought me here. I wait here until those who have died cross the veil to the next world. What is it you wish from me?" Death asked.
"Clarissa refuses to leave this place. She feels she was cheated out of the life she was meant to live. She has taken it into her head that the farm girl next door has offended her, and if I do not steal that girl's dancing shoes and give them to Clarissa, she will cause harm to the girl. She nearly caused her injury this day. I do not know how to keep Abigail safe from Clarissa, without hurting her myself." explained Jasper. "I thought you might know a way I can limit Clarissa's power, so she can cause no further harm to this innocent girl."
Death shook his hooded head. "You cannot stop Clarissa, but perhaps I can. Steal the shoes, as she has asked you to, but bring them to me before you present them to Clarissa."
Jasper bowed to Death, and said, "As you will it." before he left the cellar and headed for Abigail's farm.
It was hard for him to leave the mansion's lands. It was not impossible, but the grounds had a very strong pull for him. He broke free, and glided to Abigail's house. He stopped by her parents' headstones. "I do this to keep your daughter safe, not to bring her more sadness. I hope you understand." he said to the stones. He knew her parents had moved on, as he had seen them go, but he felt he needed to explain his actions. Since he could not speak to Abigail, he felt obliged to try her parents and hope they heard and understood. He continued to the house, knowing which window was Abigail's by having watched her candlelight travel past the windows in the nights he had been observing from the mansion grounds.
He leaned over the sleeping girl, thinking her so beautiful in her sleep, that he had to leave a kiss on her cheek. "I'm so sorry, Miss Abigail, but I do this to keep you safe. I would give anything in my power to protect you from harm. Know that I will always be watching over you. Sweet dreams, Miss Abigail."
Then he focused all his power on the dancing shoes, which lay near her bed. It was not easy to move things in the natural world, but with practice, it could be done. Since he had so many years to hone his skill, the shoes floated before him, as he glanced back once at the sleeping Abigail, then headed for the mansions cellars.
Once back, he left the shoes near the place where he had met Death. Since Death was not there, he left them and busied himself about the mansion. He couldn't stop thinking of Abigail, and how sad she would be to find her dancing shoes missing.
Back at the farm, Abigail was dreaming of dancing in her ballroom. She saw it in all it's glory, with bright, sparkling floors and gaily decorated walls. She could hear the orchestra playing her favorite waltz. As she entered the ballroom, she noticed she had a beautiful ballgown, and of course, her dancing shoes. There were many couples twirling about to the music, and she came to stand at the edge of the dance floor. Suddenly, a handsome young man dressed in finery appeared before her in a low bow. "Miss Abigail, may I have this dance?" he asked. She nodded her head, and the joined the rest of the couples on the floor. The young man led her expertly around the floor. She felt familiarity in their dance, as though they had always danced together. 'How strange', she thought in her dream,'that I should feel I know this boy when we have just met. Yet, he knew my name.' She thought she might ask him about that, but he smiled at her as he twirled her round and round, and she could do nothing but smile back. As the song ended, he bowed to her again, and kissed her hand. "I thank you Miss Abigail, for a most wonderful dance." he told her. "And I, you, Sir." she replied. She closed her eyes as he drew nearer, almost as though he would kiss her. Her heart thundered in her chest as she waited. Then she felt the slightest feathery touch upon her cheek, so cold, yet so tender. And then she woke.
She remembered her dream, the young man with his kind face. spinning and twirling her to the music. She would always imagine this was the man she danced with when she would visit her ballroom. She turned over to go back to sleep, but when her eyes swept the place she had left her dancing shoes, they were not there. "Where could you have left them, Abby?" she asked herself. Troubled, she got out of her bed, and began to search.
Back at the mansion, Jasper waited in the bedroom he claimed as his. He didn't need to sleep, but he and Clarissa both needed a space in the house where they could be alone. Eternity was a very long time to be tied to a person. He was startled by a sound outside of his door. He walked through the door, and found the shoes sitting there. He assumed this meant the shoes were ready. He was not sure what Death had planned, but whatever it was, if it kept Abigail safe, he would go along with it. He picked up the shoes, and headed for Clarissa's wing of the mansion.
"Clarissa!" he yelled. She appeared before him. "Oh, it's just 'Clarissa' now? You no longer address me as a lady is due?" she asked.
"A lady is as a lady does." replied Jasper. "I have done your bidding and brought you Miss Abigail's shoes. Now you must leave her alone. No harm will come to her at your hands, per your bargin."
"I made no bargin with you!" laughed Clarissa. "I shall do what I will, and you'll not stop me!"
Then she slipped her ghost feet into Abigail's dancing shoes. A shocked look came to her face. "What have you done?" she demanded from Jasper. As Jasper watched, Clarissa began to fade. She tried to speak as she faded, but Jasper could not make out the words. They sounded so far away.
Abigail stopped where she was, suddenly feeling very strange. She put her hands onto her stomach, and they seemed to press right through her nightdress. She pulled them back to look at them, and was terrified as she could see right through them to the floor below. Abigail looked about in shock as she began to fade.
As she became aware again, she found herself in an old hallway, and standing before her was a young man in tatered evening clothes. She felt herself become more solid, yet still somehow, not. She looked down at herself, and saw a bedragled ballgown had replaced her nightdress. She looked back at the young man, who, from the look on his face, was as shocked by what was happening as she was. "I know you," she said as she looked upon him.
"Miss Abigail?" Jasper asked bewilderedly. "Is it truly you? And how is it that you can see me?"
"I can see you, because you are standing right before me." she replied. "But how is it that you know my name, yet I know not yours? I've been meaning to ask you."
"Miss Abigail, I am Jasper. I don't know how to expain the rest without startling you, but I shall try my best. Let me begin by teling you that I mean you no harm, so please do not be afraid of me. I attended a party here, many years past. There was a rumbling in the earth, and part of the mansion fell in upon the partygoers. The rest of them have moved on to the next plane, but I stayed behind with another, who did not wish to go. I have lived next door to you all of your life. I must warn you, the other who stayed behind is evil, and will harm you if she can."
Abigail looked at Jasper as he spoke, and when he was finished, she asked a question. "Am I dead?"
"I do not know for certain, but I fear it may be so." replied Jasper. "I am so sorry that this has happened to you, and I am afraid I may have had a hand in this unknowingly. I will explain it all to you, but I think it best that we find Clarissa first, and make sure you are safe here."
Jasper took Abigail's hand, and helped her down the rubble staicase, and out the front door. They walked across the grounds, and when they came to the fence that separated the mansion from the farm, Abigail felt an odd pull that stopped her from moving forward. "You can keep walking, it just seems very hard to do. The farther from the mansion we go, the easier it becomes. Take my hand."
Abigail did, and they crossed the threshold between the properties. As they approached the sideyard, she stopped at her parents' graves. "Are they here?" she asked hopefully.
"No," replied Jasper sadly. "I wish that were a gift I could give you, but they have moved on."
"I see." said Abigail. "Thank you for being so kind." she added.
"You'll not think me kind, once I can explain what I think has happened. Let us go inside, and find out if what I fear has happened has come to pass." said Jasper.
They entered the house, and went inside. "Do you hear that?" asked Abigail. "Someone is here!" She headed for the parlor, which is where she was when she had begun to fade. Jasper tried to place himself before her, to protect her from whatever Clarissa might have in mind. As they entered the parlor, they found Clarissa; a very solid Clarissa, in a nightdress, clutching at her face and arms. "What has he done to me?" she seemed to be asking herself.
Jasper placed himself in front of Abigail, and spoke to her. "Clarissa! Are you alive?" he asked her. She never looked up at him, but continued to look at her body. She looked around the room, her eyes drifting over them as though they weren't even there. She said to herself, "A mirror - there must be a mirror in this hovel!" and she walked right through Jasper and Abigail. She found a mirror on the powder room wall, and walked right up close to it. Jasper and Abigail followed her to watch. As Clarissa looked into the glass, they were are startled to see Abigail's face looking back. "He has put me in that farm girl's body - I AM TRAPPED IN HER PATHETIC BODY. JASPER!!!!" she yelled.
"I am right here, Clarissa." Jasper replied. It was apparent that she could neither see nor hear him, when Death appeared in the hallway behind them.
"You have a choice," he said to Jasper and Abigail. "You can move on, or you can linger here until a time of your choosing."
"You took her life!" shouted Jasper. "Abigail's life was not part of the bargin!"
I advised you to have a care when asking for Death's favors. I am Death, what did you think I would do?" Death asked.
"I thought you would force Clarissa to move on so that Abigial would be safe from her!" cried Jasper.
"Abigail is safe from her." replied Death. "And Clarissa will be forced to move on. Once she has finished living this life, she will not have the choice again. I will be waiting for her." And Death disappeared.
Jasper turned to Abigail, and pleaded with her. "I beg your forgiveness, Miss Abigail. I only sought your safety from Clarissa. In my foolish haste, I have ended your life. Worse, I have traded your life for Clarissa's. Days, weeks, years that should have belonged to you, will now be her's to live. I can't bear this!"
Abigail put a hand on Jasper's cheek, moving it to his chin to raise it up to meet her eyes. "I bear you no ill will, Good Jasper. I can feel the kindness in your heart, and you meant to protect me. If you had not, perhaps Clarissa would have found a way to have me dead, and I would never have met you. I'll not have you feeling guilt for something you did in kindness." She looked over at Clarissa, who was screaming and throwing things all about the house, cursing Jasper all the while. "This is the spirit you have been sharing the mansion with all these years?" she asked.
"Yes. She was not a good person when she was alive, but after her death, she became jealous and hateful towards you. Each time you would sneak into the mansion to have a dance in the ballroom, she would become enraged. She was jealous that you were alive and she was not. Once you grew into a beautiful young lady, she escalated her hatred of you, and had begun to try and cause you 'accidents'. She hated that I kept you from her traps, and she almost brought the rest of the ceiling down upon your head the last time you were there."
"I remember." said Abigail. "I remember feeling that it was not an accident, and that I should leave right away. May I ask you a question?"
"Yes, anything you wish to know" said Jasper.
"Was it you who danced with me in the ballroom?" she asked.
"Why, yes, yes it was. From the very first day you came, until that last day. That was part of what was fueling her rage against you. That last time, she noticed your dancing shoes, and demanded them as payment for not causing you harm. I did not want to take them from you, because they gave you such joy, but if there were a way to stop Clarissa, I wanted to find it. I asked Death to help me, and you now know the rest. Now I have a question for you. How did you know that I joined your dance, Miss Abigail?" asked Jasper.
"Just a feeling." replied Abigail. "Look, she is headed for the mansion. We should follow."
Jasper turned to leave, but Abigail stopped and held out her hand for him. Jasper looked at her, and asked, "You would take my hand, after what I have wrought?"
"I have been alone a long time, Sir Jasper, and in you I have found a friend who sought my protection. I'd have it no other way." she said to him and smiled. Jasper couldn't help but smile back, and they left the farm to follow Clarissa to the mansion.
Clarissa screamed as she stormed through the doors, "Jasper! JASPER!!!" Jasper and Abigail stood right in front of her, but she could not see or hear them. "I'll not live out my life as a lowly farmgirl with no prospects! Do you hear me, Jasper? Do not hide from me, I know you're here! Take these cursed shoes back - TAKE THEM BACK!" she shouted, as she took off the dancing shoes and threw them across the ballroom. It changed nothing. Death's magic had been done. She screamed her rage, and it echoed throught the mansion.
Jasper turned to Abigail and asked, "May I have this dance?"
She answered, "I'd be delighted, Good Sir." and the ballroom became as it once was, and they waltzed to the music the orchestra was playing just for them, as Clarissa screamed and screamed.
Wow.... It's almost my bedtime and now I will dream about Jasper and Abigail dancing together in their ballroom! ;D
You definitely deserve it for writing and posting this story! ;D
